Am I the only one who sees staying in the park hugely expensive?

[disneynovic]

After reading other's advice about staying in the resorts onsite, I thought I'd double check the disney site, and compare it apples to apples to what I am planning for Nov. I expect to pay $3100 for gas down, vacation home, food, park tickets for 3 days, no hopper, no waterparks, universal 1 day. Now comparing the exact same thing at POP 2 adults, 2 children(15 &12), 3 days in the parks, on the dining plan comes to $2811, add the $600 for gas, and I still have one other kid(7) to buy tickets and dining plan(assuming he would room with my parents). Already I'm well over my offsite budget. I just can't bring myself to spending hoards of money for a one week vacation, plus DH, not a Disney fan, can't stand staying in a small hotel room with us all.

How do you all do it? Is this your only family vacation, and you must budget $5000 for a larger family to stay onsite? Just curious, I'm really feeling like I'm the only one here willing to stay offsite, and spend wisely.

Thanks for listening,
Deb

[maxie]

I'm using Airmiles for all passes (Disney and Univeral), plus airfare and some of the resort stay. So all I pay for is the taxes on the airfare (4 tickets- $700ish), food, part of the room and spending money. I think our total trip could cost upwards to $7000 for 13 nights but will end up costing about $3000.

We are doing a split stay between ASMovies and Beach Club.

With young kids it's nice to stay onsite and not worry about traveling to and from Disney parks.
Gotta love those Airmiles!!:wizard:

[mermaid&cinderella]

We fly from Pearson (I have no interest in driving to Buffalo to save a few bucks), stay onsite, has always been POLY (LOVE POLY), get the dining plan, get park hoppers and for me, dh, and dd it costs just over $6000 for one week. We go away usually 3 times a year and Disney is one of them. When we went to Mexico one year and stayed at a premium resort we also paid $6000 for the week so its comparable in price. But last year we went to Cuba for 2 weeks and paid $6600 so it just depends. For me time is money so I don't mind paying for convenience. Like staying at POLY, the monorail right there to MK, boat right there to MK, the TTC right next door, fave restaurants there, etc. Also our disney trips are a vacation and to us that means relaxing so not having to drive to a rent home is great, POLY makes you feel like you are on another vacation in a tropical location, the pool, the beach, its all very relaxing and comfortable. But this is us and everyone is different!!!!

[yxe dad]

No your not the only one to stay off-site but I feel my choice to stay on-site is money spent wisely!

I only have to get 1 room and always seem to get a disount (AP/CAA). I also buy AP's and plan to go back 11 months later so I can get another use out of the tickets, that way the tickets are basically half price. I also buy the DDE card with gives me 20% off most TS restaurants in WDW. In my opion the Dining Plan is not worth money, and you could save money by dropping that from your price.

And no this isn't my only family trip a year, but it the one trip everyone in my family looks forward to.

[NikP]

After reading other's advice about staying in the resorts onsite, I thought I'd double check the disney site, and compare it apples to apples to what I am planning for Nov. I expect to pay $3100 for gas down, vacation home, food, park tickets for 3 days, no hopper, no waterparks, universal 1 day. Now comparing the exact same thing at POP 2 adults, 2 children(15 &12), 3 days in the parks, on the dining plan comes to $2811, add the $600 for gas, and I still have one other kid(7) to buy tickets and dining plan(assuming he would room with my parents). Already I'm well over my offsite budget. I just can't bring myself to spending hoards of money for a one week vacation, plus DH, not a Disney fan, can't stand staying in a small hotel room with us all.

How do you all do it? Is this your only family vacation, and you must budget $5000 for a larger family to stay onsite? Just curious, I'm really feeling like I'm the only one here willing to stay offsite, and spend wisely.

Thanks for listening,
Deb

If you are staying on site you don't have to go on the dining plan. I am sure this is a big expense. Check out the menus and costs on allearsnet . com to see if it makes sense for your family to use the dining plan.

Also don't forget parking costs at the parks if you are staying off property.

There are lots of tips on the budget boards to go to Disney on a strict budget. I don't think I would ever pay the price listed on Disney's website to begin with. There are AAA discounts and public codes offered thru the year. Do your research and you should be able to get your costs down.

I agree with others, off property is not an option for us. We would rather save a little longer and go and do it right when we do go.

Good luck!!

[drag n' fly]

That is why we bought DVC.

[yxe dad]

That is why we bought DVC.

I was going to add that to my response too, but the OP said she wanted to compare apples to apples. It really does lower our costs though.

[trivial]

There are many ways to pay less than Disney's posted prices, such as booking through a TA, booking room-only instead of a package using a CAA discount, not doing the Disney Dining Plan (only recommended if you don't plan on eating dinner at an on-site table-service restaurant each night), or all of the above. With your off-site quote, I'm assuming you'd plan to cook/prepare food outside the parks, which is also possible on-site (although to a limited extent in a value resort).

We fly from Pearson (I have no interest in driving to Buffalo to save a few bucks)

I'm not sure where you're located, but we're about an hour's drive from the Buffalo airport, and we saved several hundred dollars, and that was just my wife and I... quite a bit more than "a few bucks."

[karters*mom]

After reading other's advice about staying in the resorts onsite, I thought I'd double check the disney site, and compare it apples to apples to what I am planning for Nov. I expect to pay $3100 for gas down, vacation home, food, park tickets for 3 days, no hopper, no waterparks, universal 1 day. Now comparing the exact same thing at POP 2 adults, 2 children(15 &12), 3 days in the parks, on the dining plan comes to $2811, add the $600 for gas, and I still have one other kid(7) to buy tickets and dining plan(assuming he would room with my parents). Already I'm well over my offsite budget. I just can't bring myself to spending hoards of money for a one week vacation, plus DH, not a Disney fan, can't stand staying in a small hotel room with us all.

How do you all do it? Is this your only family vacation, and you must budget $5000 for a larger family to stay onsite? Just curious, I'm really feeling like I'm the only one here willing to stay offsite, and spend wisely.

Thanks for listening,
Deb
We are going april 18-25th
We are flying out of buffalo $209 a person ($627 for 3 of us)
Hotel - All Star Sports 7 nights
Basic Meal Plan 7 nights
8 day Park Hopper / Water Parks and More Option
$2065.

Rental car 8 days $113.

Grand total of
Flight $627
Hotel / Parks $2065
Car $113

GRAND TOTAL 2865.
advantages - extra magic hours, transportations..and all the otehr diseny perks of staying onsite!

[SandraC]

We are a family of 4 [mum,dad and two kids 14 & 8].

We do Florida/Disney for about $6000-$7500, we fly, rent a car, go to the beach for a few days, stay at Disney for at least one week. Our trips range from 10 days to 2 weeks. S

[mollyseven]

We went in March and stayed at a moderate (POR) and had the dining plan and the cost for 4 (all considered adults) with meal plan and 8 day hoppers with water parks for 10 days was 3800.00. We flew from Buffalo for 800 for the 4 of us.
Side note....Buffalo is more than saving although flights from toronto at march break were 3200.00 for the 4 of us.....more than a few bucks...We actually fly from Buffalo as much for the less stress and hassle....it's easy in and out ...no customs.. no forms....literally 35-40 seconds at the border!!!
So....for under 5thousand...including EVERYTHING for the 10 days I think that is a great price for a vacation....plus we usually go off peak time so it's cheaper.
You can't beat the value of an all inclusive and you don't have to be in a country like Cuba or Dominican .....both places I would never go to again.

[drag n' fly]

I was going to add that to my response too, but the OP said she wanted to compare apples to apples. It really does lower our costs though.

Not only that! The DVC perks, not cramming into a room. No more code watches, Full facilities in a deluxe resort environment...worth every single penny. As another poster mentioned all the perks with staying onsite outweigh any deal staying offsite imo. You have to balance what your priorities are.

If more room/home at a cheaper rate is your priority and you do not mind commuting to the park then do that, if you like the convenience of going back to your resort easily, ME, onsite perks then stay onsite. It really depends on what a person wants the most. Their is an option for everyone.:)

[mermaid&cinderella]

I'm not sure where you're located, but we're about an hour's drive from the Buffalo airport, and we saved several hundred dollars, and that was just my wife and I... quite a bit more than "a few bucks."

I'm about 1.5 hours away from Buffalo and honestly I would never drive to Buffalo, park my car there, and take an American airline to save. I am 30 mins away from Pearson and the conveinence of it is definately worth several hundred dollars for us!

[maryliz]

:goodvibes I hear what you are saying ... a good friend just went, and really wanted to stay on-site, but they are a family of 5 plus a toddler. They were driving down anyway, so she found a vacation condo at Windsor Palms I think ... the money she saved on her accommodations alone almost paid for her week of park passes for 5. :thumbsup2 She was nervous about not knowing where she was going, but took my advice that "once on Disney property, there's always signs to everywhere". She highly recommended it and I will consider it for another trip. I LOVE to stay onsite ... but we're a family of 4 and can comfortably stay in a room at the values. I wouldn't want one of my kids to have to sleep somewhere else.

You don't have to book the dining plan, or even buy your tickets with your room. We've done the dining plan, and a TS meal every night got to be way too much food and park-time wasted. Check your prices for room only, but you won't get cheaper than a vacation home.

I put together a trip for friends in November (I love it when they just hand over their Visa and tell me to go at it) ... family of 4 ... their airfare, room only at ASMu, park tickets (7 days no hopping or waterparks) came to a total of under $2200 ... they didn't want to have a sit down meal every day, I think they did about 3 of them and CS the rest of the week ... they were thrilled that not including souvenirs, their trip was about $3000. So it can definitely be done.

Don't worry ... you'll still feel the magic of Pixie Dust, even if you're not onsite. Just go and have a great family vacation.

[iluveeyore]

I'm going to pipe in with DVC props since we love our DVC, or always stay on property even if it's at Pop Century. You can rent from a member on the DVC Rent/Trade board as another option for lodging. An example for the first three weeks of November, you can stay at Old Key West in a studio for a week for $820 - if you take off the weekend nights (Fri & Sat) it's $400 for Sun-Thurs. The studios are huge and have a large bathroom and a kitchenette (visit dvcfriends.com for room layouts and tours). Or you can stay in a 1 bedroom with full kitchen, master suite w/king bed and jacuzzi, living room/dining rm and large patio with table/chairs for $1720 a week or $900 for Sun-Thurs. Just another option to consider - we are driving down for two weeks in May/June and don't have to pay for our lodging as DVC members, but the kitchenette our first week at AKV and the full kitchen at OKW our second week will be huge moneysavers as we go get groceries for the whole trip for the same price as if I was buying groceries at home - so I don't look at it as paying extra for eating on our vacation. We always do a couple of meals out for a treat, but it's not a huge chunk of money to feed four of us for two weeks.
As another poster said, check allears.net for dining menus and prices as well to help you plan if you don't need the dining plan cost.
Staying onsite is priceless - you can use WDW transportation and miss all the parking lot woes (pay to park, have to use trams or ferries to get to park entrance whereas WDW transp. drops you off by front gates of each park). Being able to go back to your room mid-day to relax, swim, snack, nap is priceless as well, and you don't have to deal with traffic to leave or go back to the parks - friends of ours stayed offsite and had to commando each park each day until it closed so they didn't have to drive back to their condo then return to the park later during rush hour traffic on the I-4 - not enjoyable.
Also, if you're doing US & IoA, it's only a 20 minute drive from WDW.
Wherever you stay, have a safe and wonderful trip!:goodvibes

[mommylo]

We went last year and our family of 5 stayed in a tiny ASMusic room (my 7 year old refused to stay in my friend's room which only had 3 people, sigh..), went to a DVC presentation and the rest is history. For last year we spend $3500 for the room, Disney Dining and park tickets. We flew on points which was great. If we had to pay for flights, it would have cost us another $3000 from Pearson or about $1200 from Buffalo.
We purchased DVC and am going back this July for 10 days, staying a a 2-bedroom at the Villas at Wilderness, mainly on the free developer points offered at the time. I also bought some resales afterwards. The only money we are spending will be park tickets (will probably get Annual passes because of member discounts), Dining Plan and flights ($1100 from Buffalo for the five of us!!) It is something we really look forward to:cheer2: :cheer2:

[braddillman]

I think if you're staying in a hotel, staying on-site is probably competitive value with off-site (you could save money, but you'll get less).

However, I think you get better value staying in a vacation home, condo or timeshare than staying in a hotel. IMHO, you save a lot by not eating every meal in a restaurant, plus you often have access to laundry, somewhat more privacy than a hotel room (varies). On the downside you have to cook, do laundry, etc. on vacation.

So, I'm interested in how others compare non-Disney timeshares vs. DVC. :surfweb: Serously, the DVC looks interesting, but I find it especially hard to compare point systems, maintenance fees, etc. (and I'm an engineer! :confused: )

On the downside, you have to pay for a rental car off-site, plus parking at the parks ($11/day?). On the plus side, I've seen some griping about on-site transport (mostly bus and ME) which advise in favour of a rental car.

Staying on-site you get EMH, but I've also seen that EMH can be the most crowded times and been advised to avoid the EMH crowd.

So, if you take away on-site transport and EMH as advantages, how much more is DVC worth than off-site non-hotel alternatives?

Please note: I own a non-Disney timeshare, so I'm kinda biased. OTOH my family is 2 parents and 3 kids, and we can only afford to visit every 2-3 years, not every year or more, so we're limited in how much we can afford - I think this drives me to find the best value; why spend money on chicken nuggets for fussy kids at restaurants, when I can buy a whole bag for $5? Cooking just means throwing them in the oven while the kids are in the pool... it's maybe not so bad as it sounds.

[trivial]

braddillman, you have some reasonable points. I just wanted to briefly add that one element that I always factor in, but others may not, is time. For me, time = money, especially at Disney. Driving to/from WDW, to/from an off-site location, spending time cooking (not including throwing frozen stuff in the oven ;)), etc. all take additional time. That can certainly be worth saving some money for some people, but I just wanted to remind/recommend considering the "time is money" factor.

Personally, I found Disney's transportation to be decent. Not great, not bad, but decent. It's possible that taking Disney transportation comes close to taking as long as driving to/from an off-site resort/home, but a rental car and gas aren't required when staying on-site.

For our last trip, I initially planned to stay off-site. What started to turn the tide for me was discovering the possibility of renting DVC points. Ultimately, I found that staying off-site was going to cost me about as much as staying on-site, so that's what we went with.

[karters*mom]

I'm about 1.5 hours away from Buffalo and honestly I would never drive to Buffalo, park my car there, and take an American airline to save. I am 30 mins away from Pearson and the conveinence of it is definately worth several hundred dollars for us!


Benefits of flying out of buffalo
-quicker
-you deal with customs at the Border.
-you only deal with the typical security checks on buffalo.
-Airport is smaller .
-PRICE

We paid $627 for the 3 of us out of Buffalo
Toronto was $1385 (Saved $758 flying out of Buffalo)
Hamilton was $1460. (saved $833 flying out of Buffalo)

Less than half the price!
Well worth it....

[disneynovic]

Thank you so much everybody for all your opinions and how YOU spend your vacation time/money. I have learned alot, and was afraid I would get blasted for even suggesting that Disney is the biggest people trap set out by a mouse. The DVC rentals still seem really expensive, especially since I am only paying $650 for a 4 bedroom home with private pool, only 10 mins from the parks(no need to travel on the I-4), thus also saving time. Since we are driving down, no need to rent a car, and I have included parking fees in my budget as well. I have alloted $700 for food that week, and I plan on eating one meal out EVERY DAY.
I think I was just feeling overwhelmed with some advice given to 1st timers, that they must stay onsite, get parkhoppers and waterpark passes and get the dining option.
Still, if I had unlimited funds, and DH was into WDW, I would love to stay onsite. Remembering we are a family of 5, most responders have the optimal 4 in a family, and I feel this makes a world of difference. There is no way DH would agree to $6000 for a one week vacation, no matter where we went!

[Ham Ham]

We fly from Pearson (I have no interest in driving to Buffalo to save a few bucks), stay onsite, has always been POLY (LOVE POLY), get the dining plan, get park hoppers and for me, dh, and dd it costs just over $6000 for one week. We go away usually 3 times a year and Disney is one of them. When we went to Mexico one year and stayed at a premium resort we also paid $6000 for the week so its comparable in price. But last year we went to Cuba for 2 weeks and paid $6600 so it just depends. For me time is money so I don't mind paying for convenience. Like staying at POLY, the monorail right there to MK, boat right there to MK, the TTC right next door, fave restaurants there, etc. Also our disney trips are a vacation and to us that means relaxing so not having to drive to a rent home is great, POLY makes you feel like you are on another vacation in a tropical location, the pool, the beach, its all very relaxing and comfortable. But this is us and everyone is different!!!!

For us as a family of 4 we can save at least $1400+ by flying out of BUF.
I would classify that as more than "a few bucks".

[joech]

We went last Christmas and for a family of, it costs us over $10,000 for 2 weeks before spending money and the 2 trips our DD visited BBB. But it is still worth it. Our cost will come down once we purchase DVC this Christmas.

Airfare for 4 $2200
2 weeks at AKL $5000
DDP $1260
10 days tic/w hopper $1000
2 weeks van rental $560

[drag n' fly]

Thank you so much everybody for all your opinions and how YOU spend your vacation time/money. I have learned alot, and was afraid I would get blasted for even suggesting that Disney is the biggest people trap set out by a mouse. The DVC rentals still seem really expensive, especially since I am only paying $650 for a 4 bedroom home with private pool, only 10 mins from the parks(no need to travel on the I-4), thus also saving time. Since we are driving down, no need to rent a car, and I have included parking fees in my budget as well. I have alloted $700 for food that week, and I plan on eating one meal out EVERY DAY.
I think I was just feeling overwhelmed with some advice given to 1st timers, that they must stay onsite, get parkhoppers and waterpark passes and get the dining option.
Still, if I had unlimited funds, and DH was into WDW, I would love to stay onsite. Remembering we are a family of 5, most responders have the optimal 4 in a family, and I feel this makes a world of difference. There is no way DH would agree to $6000 for a one week vacation, no matter where we went!


You can make it as cheap or as expensive as you want for sure. You found a plan that works for you and your family to get to Disney and really that is all that matters.:thumbsup2 I do understand your frustration with the family of five thing though. We are a family of five and what worked best for us was buying DVC so we could spread out onsite and have full facilities at the same time. Have a fun and safe trip~!

[lisalonglash]

There is no way DH would agree to $6000 for a one week vacation, no matter where we went!

Is your dh my dh? :lmao: We are staying on-site, but on the cheap! We're staying at ASMovies (preferred room) for 8 nights, direct return flights Seattle/Orlando (we're in BC, right by the US border), 5-day base park tickets (we'll probably upgrade those to 7-day, which means an extra $8/person LOL). The total for the hotel, airfare and park tickets is about CDN$3300. That doesn't include food, but, by all accounts, most in-park portions are big enough for an adult and a child to share, so that works for us (we're 2 adults and 2 children) :yay:

I wish you a wonderful vacation! :wizard:

[trivial]

That's a good point; having more than 4 people in a family really changes things. I'll have to take a good look at the alternatives when/if our family expands, unless Disney gets their act together by then and provides better options for families of 5 or more.

[maryliz]

You can make it as cheap or as expensive as you want for sure. You found a plan that works for you and your family to get to Disney and really that is all that matters.:thumbsup2 Have a fun and safe trip~!

Ditto to that ! :thumbsup2

I mentioned the trip i planned for friends under $3000. another friend went in Jan, and her extended family needed rooms that slept 5 people, and really wanted the Poly. I helped her plan her trip too. Both families, regardless of what they spent, had a fabulous time!

and always remember ... you'll be a DISNEY! :banana: :banana: :banana:

[mermaid&cinderella]

Benefits of flying out of buffalo
-quicker
-you deal with customs at the Border.
-you only deal with the typical security checks on buffalo.
-Airport is smaller .
-PRICE

We paid $627 for the 3 of us out of Buffalo
Toronto was $1385 (Saved $758 flying out of Buffalo)
Hamilton was $1460. (saved $833 flying out of Buffalo)

Less than half the price!
Well worth it....

It may be worth the price for you but not for me. Like a previous post said, time=money. How is the buffalo airport quicker if I have to drive just over 1.5 hours just to get there????:confused3 I have never had a problem with customs at pearson, its really quick. I actually like Pearson airport, why would I want the small buffalo airport? Sorry but your points don't make me change my mind on driving all the way to buffalo and flying from their. My time is worth alot of money so if I can save time, I am saving money!!!!

[amw]

I have yet to stay at Disney on-site. I like having separate sleeping quarters for my DDs, and in my opinion, even the DVC are not worth it. I tend to go against the grain for touring - avoiding EMH parks so that wouldn't be a perk to me.

We're going to be staying at Bonnet Creek resort in a 2-bedroom condo with full kitchen, hourly activities for the kids, 2 pools, one with slide, and lazy river -- all closer to the park than some "on-site" hotels.

My husband travels weekly to the US, so although my children are without Daddy for most of their lives, they are somewhat Disney spoiled because we can afford to fly to Disney annually.

Our cost breakdown:
"free" aeroplan flights from Toronto - $600
free car rental on points - $0
9 night stay at BCR (including 2 weekends) - $1000 (no additional taxes or fees)
budget for dining: $1000 (being generous)
tickets, 7-day: $800 (can't remember the exact cost)
Grand total: $3,400 for 10-days

I'm not including the cost of parking, because the savings in "time" as a lot of people mentioned is worth it, as well as the savings in offsite restaurants.

I can afford to stay on-site, but at this point can't justify it.

I think no matter what, it's a magical Disney vacation ... and what is magical to one person, is not to another ... I pick a relaxing sleeping arrangement over theming.

[dsneygirl]

It may be worth the price for you but not for me. Like a previous post said, time=money. How is the buffalo airport quicker if I have to drive just over 1.5 hours just to get there????:confused3 I have never had a problem with customs at pearson, its really quick. I actually like Pearson airport, why would I want the small buffalo airport? Sorry but your points don't make me change my mind on driving all the way to buffalo and flying from their. My time is worth alot of money so if I can save time, I am saving money!!!!

The last time my DH flew in on an international flight into Pearson it was 1 hour from the time his plane landed until he emerged where I could pick him up. Then 40min to drive home. Same deal as Buffalo.

But by all means keep flying from Pearson, frees up seats for those of us who like to get a deal :)

And FWIW I WORK at Pearson and you would have to pay me to fly from there.

[pjwelch]

We are staying offsite too. We will be as close as the value resorts. According to the guide book I have it can take longer to get to the value resorts than a house nearby. Plus we'll have our own pool, and all facities needed (washing clothes, full refrig., micro-wave. IMO the real advantage of staying on property is the extra hours. We are going w/ my DD and DSIL and five kids. so we should be Disney costs easily. House w/ pool only $600 for a week.

[PanamaMike]

Here is my recent solo trip

Hotel on trip down - $35
16 nights @ HoJo in Kissimmee - $560 (15 mins to WDW)
Hotel on trip back - $91
Gas for entire trip - $260
Parking - 6 days WDW, 1 day US/IOA - $77
1 day Seaworld/ 1 Day Aquatica $20
Total $1043

Ate only two meals out, rest was groceries, so eating expenses no different then if I'd been home.

I love visiting WDW but no way I'd stay on property.

[disyady]

I'm not sure where you're located, but we're about an hour's drive from the Buffalo airport, and we saved several hundred dollars, and that was just my wife and I... quite a bit more than "a few bucks."[/QUOTE]

ITA - our family of 5 saved $2000 last August - and that's including 1 night in Buffalo and parking our van for the week. We could have flown 3 times from Buffalo compared to once from Toronto. I also find Buffalo Airport far less stressful than Pearson and even the travel time from our home wasn't vastly different depending on the time of day we were trying to access Pearson. It took us 45 minutes to get to Pearson from our Mississauga home one year (average was about 30 minutes) and it only takes 2 hrs including the border crossing to get to Buffalo - not a lot in the scheme of a Disney vacation. Customs is faster and easier in your vehicle, especially coming home (I love not having to line up to clear customs at Pearson when we fly home) - all around just cheaper and less stressful from Buffalo with an extra $2000 in my pocket as a bonus!

[CrazyDisneyMommy1]

DISNEYNOVIC & PJWELCH: We have always stayed offsite. I am always looking for a new place to try. Could you give me the house or company you are going through and getting the house for $600 - $650. Thank you so much.

[Eveningsong]

Offsite or onsite personal preference. I enjoy both.

We own DVC and stay on site when our points allow, but when we run out of DVC points we stay offsite at the Sheraton Safari with our Starwood points.

My oldest girl loves staying on Disney property. She enjoys the extra magic hours.

We also rent a car whether we are on, or off property. I have an annual pass ($100.00 DVC discount) so we get free parking at the parks when we stay offsite. We like the freedom of having our own transportation.

[mermaid&cinderella]

And FWIW I WORK at Pearson and you would have to pay me to fly from there.

Good, it frees up seats for us who want to fly Canadian :)

[trivial]

Regarding Pearson versus Buffalo, I think we can agree to disagree here before things get unfriendly; it's obviously a matter of personal preference. My original reply was simply to point out that quite a bit of money can be saved (rather than just a few dollars), in case some readers weren't aware that the savings are actually quite significant.

[Eveningsong]

We fly out of Syracuse to Orlando. This trip we are flying JetBlue. We have the option of driving to Buffalo, Rochester or Syracuse Airports in New York.

[OntFamily]

Just curious, I'm really feeling like I'm the only one here willing to stay offsite, and spend wisely.

Thanks for listening,
Deb

Just a *small* point, regarding spending money wisely. Vacation spending is an intensely personal choice. What is proper and appropriate for one family, may not be for another (some people may feel vacationing in Florida, regardless of hotel, is not "spending wisely"). In and of itself, most vacation spending could be considered frivolous.
Just remember what they say about those who live in glass houses.....

[Teresa Pitman]

I'm a single mother with four kids, who are now grown. I've stayed off-site several times, but for me, staying on-site is a much better choice. I just didn't like the drive back on busy streets, trying to find my hotel, when I'm exhausted after a long day in the parks (or being stuck in traffic on the way there).

When I stay onsite, it feels like I am in a different "world." The route (either on Disney transportation, or in my own car) takes me past green fields and Disney parks. I like that - I feel more peaceful, more relaxed. I like being able to buy things and have them sent back to my resort, and I like being able to take advantage of EMH.

But I also like to have my whole vacation in WDW. I've been to the other parks you mentioned and they just don't do it for me. So that's probably a factor too.

Teresa

[braddillman]

My main source of worry is the cost of food on-site. Off-site with a kitchen, I have more control over cost, quality, etc. Plus it seems like a hassle to make ADRs, etc. (maybe not, maybe it just looks that way because some worry too much).

I just went to Disney and booked a phony vacation in Nov 2008, with and without DDP, for 7 days/6 nights for a family of 5. The difference was $803.70, or $114.81 per day, or $22.96 per person per day. Now, that's not too bad eating 1 snack, 1 CS and 1 TS per day (BTW, is that right?). OTOH, I can eat pretty well on groceries for less. Again, this assumes I have a kitchen (not possible in a hotel), and that I don't mind cooking - and it is a vacation, a very good excuse not to cook! :)

I do plan to eat out some, but not 100%.

Oh, and I just checked quicken - I spend about $800/month on groceries typically. I think we eat pretty well. I'd like to save a bit, but it's hard when we still want to get fresh veggies, etc.

One thing I don't like about DVC is that it is a < 50 year lease, rather than ownership.

[Teresa Pitman]

My main source of worry is the cost of food on-site. Off-site with a kitchen, I have more control over cost, quality, etc. Plus it seems like a hassle to make ADRs, etc. (maybe not, maybe it just looks that way because some worry too much).

I just went to Disney and booked a phony vacation in Nov 2008, with and without DDP, for 7 days/6 nights for a family of 5. The difference was $803.70, or $114.81 per day, or $22.96 per person per day. Now, that's not too bad eating 1 snack, 1 CS and 1 TS per day (BTW, is that right?). OTOH, I can eat pretty well on groceries for less. Again, this assumes I have a kitchen (not possible in a hotel), and that I don't mind cooking - and it is a vacation, a very good excuse not to cook! :)

I do plan to eat out some, but not 100%.

Oh, and I just checked quicken - I spend about $800/month on groceries typically. I think we eat pretty well. I'd like to save a bit, but it's hard when we still want to get fresh veggies, etc.

One thing I don't like about DVC is that it is a < 50 year lease, rather than ownership.

Well, there are options if you want a kitchen. We've stayed in a FW cabin and will be in one again this fall - it has a full kitchen with all the pots, pans, etc. you could want. You can also rent points from a DVC member and get a kitchen that way.

You get a fridge in rooms that are moderate price and up, and can get in a "fridge swap" for one in a value. If you don't mind having some pretty basic meals, you can manage quite well with a small fridge and a cooler and just make sandwiches, wraps, fresh fruits and veggies with dips, etc. Throw in one meal a day out in the park (and you pretty much need to do at least one in the park, or you're wasting too much time going back to the hotel or vacation home) and you're fine.

Teresa

[dsneygirl]

Good, it frees up seats for us who want to fly Canadian :)

Different strokes, our vacation $$$ are all being spent in the same place at the end of the day.

[disneynovic]

Just a *small* point, regarding spending money wisely. Vacation spending is an intensely personal choice. What is proper and appropriate for one family, may not be for another (some people may feel vacationing in Florida, regardless of hotel, is not "spending wisely"). In and of itself, most vacation spending could be considered frivolous.
Just remember what they say about those who live in glass houses.....

Sorry, I suppose the word "wisely" was incorrectly chosen, and misunderstood by you. I wasn't judging who spends what where, I was trying to understand those willing/wanting to spend more than I will be, and also looking to see if there are others on this board that like to stay offsite. I love Disney and would go every year if I could.

I think your post may be heading in the direction that I feared this thread would lead, but was impressed that it hadn't gotten too nasty yet.

[trivial]

Plus it seems like a hassle to make ADRs, etc. (maybe not, maybe it just looks that way because some worry too much).
ADRs are pretty straight-forward, so I'm not sure why some would consider them a hassle. I think some people are bothered that some spontaneity is lost, but you're not bound by your reservation if you change your mind (although a very small number of restaurants/dinner shows will charge a no-show fee if you don't cancel within 24 or 48 hours).

I just went to Disney and booked a phony vacation in Nov 2008, with and without DDP, for 7 days/6 nights for a family of 5. The difference was $803.70, or $114.81 per day, or $22.96 per person per day. Now, that's not too bad eating 1 snack, 1 CS and 1 TS per day (BTW, is that right?). OTOH, I can eat pretty well on groceries for less. Again, this assumes I have a kitchen (not possible in a hotel), and that I don't mind cooking - and it is a vacation, a very good excuse not to cook! :)
The DDP (basic, not deluxe) does include 1 snack, 1 CS and 1 TS per day. Now in my opinion, $22.96 per person per day is a steal, especially when you see the menu prices at WDW (most TS dinners alone will cost more than that). It also means you don't need a kitchen, don't have to buy groceries, don't have to cook, and don't have to drive off-site for your meals (which, for me, all combine to quickly eat up those savings in time and money). But I understand that those extra dollars do add-up, so I certainly wouldn't criticize you for not going that route.

[minnie56]

It may be worth the price for you but not for me. Like a previous post said, time=money. How is the buffalo airport quicker if I have to drive just over 1.5 hours just to get there????:confused3 I have never had a problem with customs at pearson, its really quick. I actually like Pearson airport, why would I want the small buffalo airport? Sorry but your points don't make me change my mind on driving all the way to buffalo and flying from their. My time is worth alot of money so if I can save time, I am saving money!!!!


You are fortunate you have not experienced delays at Pearson!
My DH arrived this past Sunday at 14:10...came through at 15:40 that makes 90 minutes. Then we had the drive home to Oakville, another 20. I am 90 mins door to door to Buffalo Int'l...makes perfect sense to me to save allll that money to spend on my holiday and avoid that awful airport!

Apart from anything else..I just won't support the exorbinant taxes imposed on our air travel unless I am redeeming Aeroplan and getting the break anyways..:confused3

[kbtennant]

Staying on site is very convenient, wouldn't do it any other way, that is why we purchased DVC-Boardwalk Villas in 2000. Last year we went 6 times. Been twice already this year. As a DVC member you get great discount on annual passes, so we just need airfare from Jersey and money for food.

[bunnyfoo]

It may be worth the price for you but not for me. Like a previous post said, time=money. How is the buffalo airport quicker if I have to drive just over 1.5 hours just to get there????:confused3 I have never had a problem with customs at pearson, its really quick. I actually like Pearson airport, why would I want the small buffalo airport? Sorry but your points don't make me change my mind on driving all the way to buffalo and flying from their. My time is worth alot of money so if I can save time, I am saving money!!!!


My fiance has the same opinion. For our upcoming trip in May, I priced out tickets for Toronto, Hamilton and Buffalo and I factored in things like gas and a hotel (for Buffalo), parking (for Hamilton) and limo for Toronto. Toronto worked out to being about $225 more expensive than Buffalo since we were able to get tickets from an Air Canada seat sale. I think he might have been more convinced if the difference was greater - I told him if he wants to go through Pearson, he can pick me up a Coach bag at the outlet mall. :rotfl:

[mollyseven]

yes my point also...time=money and the time it takes to get off your plane, get your bags, clear customs and get out of toronto airport takes longer for us than getting out of buffalo and driving home.
It's an extra 1 hour for the drive for us to buffalo but after flying toronto dozens of times it's over for us....we save more than the hour by flying buffalo ...seriously we can land in Buffalo and get home quicker than landing in Toronto at the same time.....plus the financial savings.....
I think the taxes alone to fly out of Toronto are ridiculous.
If you don't feel comfortable flying out of a smaller airport then by all means pay more and waste more time and fly out of Toronto but there is no need.

More saving=More frequent trips for us....or maybe a deluxe next time.

Just do what works for you.

[CanadianGuy]

I've stayed off site many times in the late 90's early 2000's and more recently I've chosen to stay on-site at the values and pretty much fore-go the rental car.

I'm in a bit of a different position because I'm not paying for a whole family to go.. but usually just myself traveling with some friends.

Many situations are unique and therefore to make a blanket statement that on-site is best or off-site is best ... well, I find that ignores the unique needs of the individual.

For me - I enjoy the ability to go to Pleasure Island and have a few wobbly-pops and hop the bus back to my resort without worry. Or if I indulge in some frozen adult beverages at Epcot, I don't have to worry about leaving the car or finding someone in my group to drive it back to the resort etc.

That's just one reason that I prefer on-site right now.. there are many others.

Knox

[karters*mom]

:moped: It is all personnal Preference and location.

Heck with the $700-$900 saving on tickets flying out of buffalo you could take a limo from toronto to buffalo airport. Arrive in class..front door service no time wasted finding a parking space.... someone else is driving, you can catch a snooze before and early morning flight....stretch out and relax.:faint:

For us It takes us 35min to get to Buffalo Airport. A fraction of the time to get to Pearson.

A 7am flight means we don't have to leave 4 hours ahead of time. We can leave an hour or so later.

the taxes out of Pearson were more than the total of our flight out of buffalo

[karters*mom]

a la carte option staying off site-
I just did a brief comparison
Offsite
Hotel - Radisson Worldgate Resort (Average 3 star place)
Air Transat flight for the 3 of us direct to
$2018.19

8 days Park hopper, water park and more option
3 of us $912.00

Parking for 8 days
approx $80 (10 day)


Food
1 counter meal / 1 reservation meal / 1 snack per person per day
(Equivalent to the basic dining plan we purchased)
$ approx. 130 x 7 days =$952

Rental Car $113

total $4075.19 staying off site

Onsite for us
All Star Sport Resort
Basic Dining Plan
8 day park hopper Water Park and More option
$15 food voucher for Planet hollywood and lots of other CAA perks
Free parking
Extra hours
$2065

Flight $627 (Our of buffalo instead of TO)

Car $113

total cost staying onsite : $2805:cheer2: :yay:
Saved $1270.19 staying on-site and flying out of buffalo

[fan1080]

I think OP might be long gone, but if you are still here......

I just did a check on the disney site. For a family of 5, Port Orleans Riverside, standard room, 8 day ticket (no hopper, no water park), comes to a total of $2317.

Adding your gas budget gives you $2917. You'll have to add food and Universal to it. Not sure what the universal tickets are, but food can be an area that you could save a bundle if you chose to.

Yes, you will be more than $200 for food for the week, but you can keep that quite low if you had to. Or, you could save a little longer and not have to worry about your food budget as much.

Adding it all up, even if you spend $1000 for food for the week, you are only $800 over your budget. Yes, that's significant, but I don't see $800 as "hoards"; not to mention you can probably get away with less for a food budget.

Just some "food" for thought! ;)

[joech]

When I stay onsite, it feels like I am in a different "world."
Teresa


Well said. DW and I feel the same way.

[braddillman]

a la carte option staying off site-
I just did a brief comparison
Offsite
Hotel - Radisson Worldgate Resort (Average 3 star place)
Air Transat flight for the 3 of us direct to
$2018.19

8 days Park hopper, water park and more option
3 of us $912.00

Parking for 8 days
approx $80 (10 day)


Food
1 counter meal / 1 reservation meal / 1 snack per person per day
(Equivalent to the basic dining plan we purchased)
$ approx. 130 x 7 days =$952

Rental Car $113

total $4075.19 staying off site

Onsite for us
All Star Sport Resort
Basic Dining Plan
8 day park hopper Water Park and More option
$15 food voucher for Planet hollywood and lots of other CAA perks
Free parking
Extra hours
$2065

Flight $627 (Our of buffalo instead of TO)

Car $113

total cost staying onsite : $2805:cheer2: :yay:
Saved $1270.19 staying on-site and flying out of buffalo

This is what I thought. If you're staying in a hotel, the value resort is competitive, and if you're eating every meal out, the DDPlan is also competitive. That seems fair, it seems like apples vs. apples.

I still can't help comparing a pineapple vs. a florida orange, though :3dglasses

I checked RCI this afternoon to price an extra week (not requiring a trade). I found a 2BR timeshare for around $414/week. It's the same one I own at, so it includes a nice pool with waterslide, and full kitchen and laundry in every unit. Again, I don't want to flame anyone, I'm just thinking out loud and trying to learn. (While I'm at it, I love the extra space! It's like 1300 sq. ft.!)

And BTW, I have no problem getting a few wobbly pops or margerita mix at a local store. Course I fully admit I'd probably enjoy them more at epcot (my wife could drive, she wouldn't mind), but I still have to be responsible for 3 kids so I don't have complete freedom anyway.

I guess the direction where I'm thinking is, if I could save 50% I could go twice as often. Right now the target is 2 weeks every other year, and we're not there yet (air for 5 is our killer, driving doesn't look too attractive).

As for Disney magic, that's fine for some. I have a slight preference for universal IoA, but I like all the orlando parks.

[NancyK]

I've stayed both onsite and offsite. I love staying onsite, but I've had great vacations staying offsite as well. You generally get more room to spread out in offsite accommodations.
You'll find that many DISers will tell you that you'll lose the "magic" staying offsite. I guess everyone's experience is different. :) I've always found the magic in being with the ones I love. :goodvibes That being said, if money was no object, I would be at the Polynesian. ;) But we're probably going to rent a townhouse in Windsor Hills for our next trip and that makes me incredibly happy as well.

Check out the Orlando Hotels board. The people on that board tend to stay off-site more often. They have lots of helpful information there.


http://www.disboards.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=&f=15

[peacefrogdog]

I had only stayed onsite, but on the first vacation to WDW with the kids we stayed at AKL for 2 nights, then a rental house for 6 nites.

Have to say, I love being off site. I didn't find it to be a hassle at all to drive to the parks. Granted we only drove to AK, and our rental house on Emerald Island was only a 5 min drive away, but parking wasn't an issue, and the total travel time was shorter or equal to taking Disney transportation.

For future trips we'll probably do split on-site and off-site. However after staying in a vacation home in Orlando, and in a 2-BR villa at Hilton Head, I don't think we could ever stay in standard hotels for extended stays. We're looking into DVC though.

So bottom line, off site rental homes can be very worthwhile from a relaxation and cost point of view. Try a split stay perhaps to get the best of both and cut costs a bit (especially if planning to go to Sea World, Universal, shopping at the outlets etc)

[disneynovic]

Thanks for all your input on staying offsite vs onsite. I agree, $800 difference isn't all that much money, for DH, it's all about space, and why this time, we decided to stay in a vacation house. There will be seven of us all together, in a four bedroom, three bath with private pool. BTW, Universal should be free thru airmiles so if we don't like, no big deal. Thanks for the reference to the other forum, I will look into it.

[Debbie]

Sounds like you made the right choice for your family.:thumbsup2 And that is what it is all about. ::yes:: Have a magical trip!

[damo]

We've flown both Pearson and Buffalo. In the winter, I will only fly Pearson since worrying about the weather is just not worth it to me. In the other seasons, Buffalo is great. I have been able to find great fares from Pearson though that often make the trip to Buffalo unnecessary. The recent safety reports of the cheap flights from Buffalo also have me a bit concerned.

I like to stay at a nice resort. The value and some of the mods just don't do it for me. This makes for a very expensive vacation at Disney where I really don't see much benefit in staying onsite. Perhaps if transportation was a bit more reliable, I would change my mind.

[so_are_you]

After reading other's advice about staying in the resorts onsite, I thought I'd double check the disney site, and compare it apples to apples to what I am planning for Nov. I expect to pay $3100 for gas down, vacation home, food, park tickets for 3 days, no hopper, no waterparks, universal 1 day. Now comparing the exact same thing at POP 2 adults, 2 children(15 &12), 3 days in the parks, on the dining plan comes to $2811, add the $600 for gas, and I still have one other kid(7) to buy tickets and dining plan(assuming he would room with my parents). Already I'm well over my offsite budget. I just can't bring myself to spending hoards of money for a one week vacation, plus DH, not a Disney fan, can't stand staying in a small hotel room with us all.

How do you all do it? Is this your only family vacation, and you must budget $5000 for a larger family to stay onsite? Just curious, I'm really feeling like I'm the only one here willing to stay offsite, and spend wisely.

Thanks for listening,
Deb

we are going for 9 days
staying in animal kingdom pool veiw
2 adults 2 children
meal plan
and 8 day with park hopper its $3303
then air with airmiles
thats dec trip
then we are going for 2 weeks next May
and air, condo rental, 10 day park hopper and car rental is $4100

[F4disneyfan]

After reading other's advice about staying in the resorts onsite, I thought I'd double check the disney site, and compare it apples to apples to what I am planning for Nov. I expect to pay $3100 for gas down, vacation home, food, park tickets for 3 days, no hopper, no waterparks, universal 1 day. Now comparing the exact same thing at POP 2 adults, 2 children(15 &12), 3 days in the parks, on the dining plan comes to $2811, add the $600 for gas, and I still have one other kid(7) to buy tickets and dining plan(assuming he would room with my parents). Already I'm well over my offsite budget. I just can't bring myself to spending hoards of money for a one week vacation, plus DH, not a Disney fan, can't stand staying in a small hotel room with us all.

How do you all do it? Is this your only family vacation, and you must budget $5000 for a larger family to stay onsite? Just curious, I'm really feeling like I'm the only one here willing to stay offsite, and spend wisely.

Thanks for listening,
Deb


To be honest there is no price you can put on the value of being directly in the centre of it all. We will never stay off site we bought DVC after doing the math and knowing we never want to stay anyplace but Disney resorts when we go down so it made far more sence especially for our family of 6. If you have to look at a trip in dollars and cents ( I know most do this) then Disney is probably not the place for you to go on holidays (my dad is that guy ) he complains about everything from the cost of the gas to drive to the cost of a beer at the hotel.

[Lisa P.]

a la carte option staying off site-
I just did a brief comparison
Not too sure about this comparison, though...

It's very, very easy to get a weekly rental at one of the many top notch timeshare resorts in the area. A 1BR deluxe is easy to find well under $700 for the week including taxes/fees. At this time of year, I'd look for something around $400/week. While you'd give up the extra hours, you'd gain a LOT in your room: the privacy of a king bed Master suite w/jacuzzi, the conveniences of a kitchen and living room, 2 tvs and a DVD player for evenings when not everyone is ready for bed at the same time, an inroom washer/dryer so you can pack less, a resort pool area that includes a nice hot tub spa and possibly many, many other resort activities and amenities too.

Add the quoted $80 for the parking fees.
Add the quoted $912 for the Disney park passes.

Offsite lodging, parking and passes could actually easily total = $1392-$1692.

Meals
If you stayed offsite, you would find that 3 people (is one a child?) would likely spend much less on food than $952, IMO. Our family of 5 includes 2 adults, DD 19 and twin bottomless DSs 17. That's 5 good appetites. On a fun vacation week, we typically spend only $500-$900 on food, depending on how much we eat in the parks vs. out of the parks. Offsite buffets are less than half the price of onsites and offsite sitdowns are usually about 20%-40% less than onsites. We usually have breakfast in the condo in our PJs as everyone gets up, very relaxed, cheap, easy - and lots of fridge food for the teenagers' late evening kitchen raids. Anyway, I think $500-$700 for the week, for the 3 of you, if you were staying offsite, would be a generous estimate.

So this would mean offsite costs for lodging, parking, Disney passes and meals could total = $1892-$2392.

Costs could be the same (for both onsite and offsite in your examples) for the rental car and airfare, so I would not even consider those. The discounts available to you as a CAA member would also be the same, and BTW, there are tons of discount deals out there for non-Disney restaurants and places like Planet Hollywood, Rainforest Cafe and others - these are not just for folks who book onsite vacations.

From your post, your onsite package deal for lodging with free parking, passes and meal plan total = $2065. This is comparable to the cost of an offsite stay. There are cheaper options offsite, btw, and more expensive ones too. So, when looking at the cheapest onsite options and comparing to reasonable offsite options, the difference in price may be small enough to just go with one's preferences.

Bottom line is, are you excited to stay at the All Stars? Do the extra hours or other onsite perks have real value to you? Do you prefer the Disney transportation, the feel of the hotel, the amenities offered? Then it's good that you're staying there. :) Or...

Would you prefer to have 2 rooms or more for sleeping or couple privacy? Would you like to have a kitchen, a washer/dryer, 2 tvs and a jacuzzi tub in your room and other amenities onsite at your resort, like tennis, golf, a pool slide, a poolside hot tub, floating river, boating, fishing or organized activities for rainy days? These things are not available onsite at these prices. So for people with these preferences, it would be good to consider offsite if cost is an issue. And if your family or travel group is larger than 4 people over age 3, even a single hotel room is not available onsite at these prices.

When comparing the moderate onsite hotels or the deluxe hotels or suites, the offsite savings start to mount up. Still, comparing onsite to offsite is more complicated than just the money. It's about preferences, too, of course. Everyone values their money differently. We've found that the closest offsite timeshares are a shorter, quicker drive to the parks than some of the onsite hotels, using Disney transport. So the "gotta get a nap/swim onsite" argument doesn't hold. But what's important to a particular family in their vacation experience has to be weighed against the cost difference.

I really think that the only people who can stay onsite and honestly SAVE MONEY on a direct comparison of onsite/offsite options that have a reasonable trade-off in features, are a select category of vacationers:

Group of 4 or fewer.
Happy to stay at a Disney value hotel or offseason DVC studio w/points rental from member.
Comparing to full freight offsite hotel prices (which are actually easy to avoid offsite).
Would eat at Disney restaurants for nearly all meals regardless.
Possibly would get free dining plan in Aug/Sept.
Might not rent a car if staying onsite but would if staying offsite.
Don't have an AP for free parking as an offsiter.

Our family is larger so just the cost of a single Disney deluxe hotel room, a 1BR DVC AKL villa rental (they sleep 5) or 2 value hotel rooms would blow our entire vacation budget! :rotfl: And we'd all have to trip over each other to get changed for a swim... and our sons would likely spend their college tuition on Disney food... yikes! ;)

We don't care much for the themes or noise of the Disney value hotels (too many youth groups, miss the absent hot tub, get tired of the buses w/Disney announcer voices and the mega-merchandising Disney machine 24/7). We appreciate the subtropical atmosphere and wonderful amenities of some offsite non-Disney resorts to decompress. We always drive our own car and don't need a rental. So we're clearly not in the category of people who would ever spend less on an onsite Disney vacation. :lmao: And we are hard-pressed to find value in spending more for onsite.

For us, the exception is when we are able to exchange an offsite timeshare into a DVC 2BR for a week... nearly "offsite cheap" while "onsite deluxe theme" but then, that's another topic... and a whole other forum, actually. ;)

[shaycamp21]

There are many ways to pay less than Disney's posted prices, such as booking through a TA, booking room-only instead of a package using a CAA discount, not doing the Disney Dining Plan (only recommended if you don't plan on eating dinner at an on-site table-service restaurant each night), or all of the above. With your off-site quote, I'm assuming you'd plan to cook/prepare food outside the parks, which is also possible on-site (although to a limited extent in a value resort).



I'm not sure where you're located, but we're about an hour's drive from the Buffalo airport, and we saved several hundred dollars, and that was just my wife and I... quite a bit more than "a few bucks."

We have flown out of Buffalo (and even Detroit a couple of times) several times and also save a few bucks. We've looked up airfare out of Pearson and it was always $1800-to over $2000 (though once I priced March break flying which was almost $3000 once you added the taxes). All four of us have flown for as low as $540 and even for March Break the most we've paid is $788 for all for of us. So saving over a grand is hardly a few bucks, at least in my pocket.

[OatsZoo]

It is totally worth the money to stay on site. We love it. You are in Disney mode 24hrs a day. The resorts are beautiful and there is a little Disney everywhere you go. The rooms have Mickey's everywhere. :smickey: Even the food in the food courts are Disney shaped on Mickey shaped plates. It really adds to the experience. I loved the fact that we never worried about carrying cash or visa's with us. We used our room keys for everything.

We also fly out of Buffalo compared to Toronto. We fly for $600 for 4 with SW and TO was going to cost us $1800 for the same dates last year. That in itself would make up the cost difference with the hotel and food prices.

Friends of ours went down last year at the same time driving and staying off site and they spent more money than us when we compared budgets. As they had to pay for parking and gas and food once there.

My vote is for onsite with dining, let the airline do the driving and Disney do the cooking, and enjoy and relax on your vacation.

[trivial]

It is totally worth the money to stay on site. We love it. You are in Disney mode 24hrs a day. The resorts are beautiful and there is a little Disney everywhere you go. The rooms have Mickey's everywhere. :smickey: Even the food in the food courts are Disney shaped on Mickey shaped plates. It really adds to the experience.

One of my concerns about staying on-site before our first trip was I didn't want to be surrounded by goofiness 24/7 (no pun intended ;)). I didn't have anything against all things "Disney", I just wasn't fanatical about it. We ended up staying at the BoardWalk Villas, and I was very happy that nothing needed to be "toned down"; the touch of Disney is very subtle.

Just thought I'd mention that for those who might worry as I did about being "drowned in Disney."

Wow, I like to use "quotes" a lot apparently.

[disneyfan2]

i think the only way to know the "right" option for you is comparing both options yourself. If you have ever stayed, off site and On-site, then compare what you spent in time, money, dining options etc. is really the only way to know what is best for you. I prefer to stay on site. I won't need to rent a car (ridiculous insurance premiums) i can chose the dining plan or not. I can get a room rate at Value or package it with tickets. Many things to consider. And i will NEVER travel from Toronto again. Yes i will drive to Buffalo to save over $1500 for 4. and less airport hassle, less parking fees etc. IF i cannot travel to Buffalo, i will chose Hamilton. Pearson is not an ideal airport, especially when you have your kids in tow. JMHO ;)